In recent years, the conventional cotton or flannel diapers have been replaced by disposable diapers. These disposable diapers not only avoid the problem of having to be washed after soiling, but many of the newer disposable diapers exhibited improved fluid absorption and dispersion characteristics over the conventional cloth diaper.
Intense competition in the marketing of disposable diapers has resulted in a diaper product that not only has greater fluid absorbency and dispersion than earlier products but is also capable of holding the wetness within the interior of the diaper layers for prolonged periods of time so that the inner surface worn next to the skin continues to feel dry. Such "stay dry" diapers allow the wearer to go for longer periods between changes.
One drawback of disposable diapers is that they are not readily biodegradable. The increase in their popularity in recent years has resulted in an overload at garbage and landfill sites to the point where they contribute to serious environmental problems.
Disposable diapers or incontinence pads from hospital wards are treated as infectious wastes and must be disposed of at the special landfill sites set aside for such purposes, thereby adding to the critical space shortage at such sites. On the other hand, if the disposable diapers are incinerated, the combustion of the inner pulp layer or the impermeable layer may release dangerous toxins into the atmosphere.
It is estimated that approximately 85% of Canadian babies now wear disposable diapers. In the City of Toronto alone, this is a market of some 43 million disposable diapers per year. In addition to disposal problems, these diapers consume a large quantity of our natural resources. It is estimated that up to 1.8 trees per year are destroyed for each child who relies on disposable diapers throughout the child's training period. By using the diaper of the present invention instead of disposable diapers over a 21/2 year period, a child would use approximately 108 reusable diapers as compared to some 7400 disposable diapers if such reusable diapers were used exclusively during this training period.
The applicant's reusable diaper has further ecological advantages in that at the end of its functional life, the diaper can be stripped apart and the viscose rayon fibres that constitute the median layer can be recycled to form up to 50% of a new median layer composition for such diapers.
Furthermore, the wetted reusable diaper does not have to be soaked in a diaper pail before laundering, as the absorbent median layer holds the liquid and its accompanying odour within the diaper. In the case of solid waste, the diaper can include a tissue liner which can be made of degradable fibrous tissue. This is laid on the interior layer of the diaper and can easily be separated and discharged into the sewer system. Alternatively, a liner of open weave synthetic fibres such as polyester can be used to retain the waste and this can be reused after removal from the diaper and rinsing out the solids.
While attempts are being made to produce biodegradable disposable diapers, such attempts have achieved only limited success. The disposable diaper components do not break down in the oxygen and sunlight starved environment of a landfill site. In view of these shortcomings, it is vital to provide an improved reusable diaper product.
Diapers of multilayered cotton or cotton and synthetic fabric blends show improved absorbency over the original cotton type diapers but tend to be thick and heavy. They also become soggy with every void. These thick multilayered cotton diapers also tend to take an unduly long time to dry after washing, which adds to power costs and down time for laundering. This is an important consideration in hospitals and commercial diaper services that have a large diaper turnaround.
Cotton reusable diapers must be presoaked before laundering in order to prevent the odours associated with a soiled diaper from permeating. Since the diapers have been soaking, they must be spun to remove the excess water prior to laundering.
Some cotton reusable diapers include a "stay dry liner" worn next to the skin so that fluid can pass through the liner and into the multilayered cotton portion. By passing the fluid through the fabric that contacts the wearer's skin, the wearer avoids the wet feeling that comes from a wetted cotton diaper. Although such linings feel dry to the touch, they do not absorb any fluid. Therefore if the cotton portion does not fully absorb the fluid the liner will not prevent the excess fluid from flowing back from the cotton portion to the wearer's skin. This effect is known as "wet back".
Impermeable pants may be worn on the outside of the multilayered cotton diaper to prevent any wetting of an outside garment that might be included on the wearer. This, of course, adds to the bulk of the diaper as well as its cost and may also require fasteners for holding the liner in place.
In view of these problems, it is imperative that a washable and reusable diaper be produced that has the comfort, appearance and absorption qualities comparable to those found in disposable diapers. The diaper of the present invention was found to be capable of being used for up to 250 washes as compared to the cotton diaper having a stay-dry liner which tends to mat and deform after about 40 washes.
Reusable diapers of the prior art may be tailored or form fitted, but generally are so designed that one size is made to fit all wearers, with the result that they often do not fit very well. Such reusable diapers are generally secured about the wearer using a fastening means such as pins, snaps or hook and loop fasteners such as VELCRO.RTM.. Much time and effort is needed to fold and fasten such diapers with pins. Since snaps are anchored at specific points on the diaper, they do not allow adjustment for a custom fit.
Pins must be removed from the diaper prior to washing to prevent clogging of the washing machine and the rusting of the metal safety pins. The hooks and loops of VELCRO.RTM. fasteners become clogged with lint during washing and the VELCRO.RTM. fasteners may adhere to one another or to other diapers thereby balling and entangling the laundry load together. Hence, reusable diapers having VELCRO.RTM. fasteners are unsuitable and inappropriate for hospital, institutional and commercial use.
Incontinence bed pads, which actually serve as open diapers on a bed, usually consist of cotton or polyester or blends thereof and require an impermeable sheet underneath. Again, these lack sufficient absorption to keep the bed patient dry when the patient's skin contacts the upper surface of the pad.
Adult type reusable incontinence pads and diapers usually comprise blended combinations of cotton, polyester and rayon. These are produced using a needlepunch method to prepare the absorbent layer. However, they have been found to lack sufficient absorbency to keep the voided fluid from contacting the wearer's skin. Such commercially available incontinence pads claim to be able to withstand up to 200 washes but have been tested in industrial wash cycles and found to be limited to about 75 wash cycles before the pads become unusable because of the impermeable layer begins breaking down or the stitching becomes damaged or the material becomes frayed.